Our Bandit is providing Peter McKenzie with a much-needed change of fortune.

The lightly-tried four-year-old boosted stable fortunes when he followed up a maiden success at Wanganui last month with victory in Saturday's Bonneval Cup at Trentham.

McKenzie has a small racing team in work at Ohau, near Levin, and recently had the misfortune to lose the multiple winner Redeem.

"He died 10 days ago, he had a heart attack," McKenzie said. "It was a shame, I was hoping to get him to the Grand National."

Our Bandit is more than doing his bit to lift spirits and his run of form has come as no surprise to McKenzie.

"He's hard to fault, both in attitude and conformation," he said. "He's got a wonderful nature and he's very intelligent.

"He was bred by Ray Stevens, a friend of mine in Wanganui, and I saw the horse in the paddock and liked him straight away."

Our Bandit is a unique individual in that he is the only New Zealand winner for his sire Bushranger, a European Group One-winning son of the Danehill horse Danetime.

"I think he's in Turkey now," said McKenzie, who also operates Strathcarron Stud, home to the High Chaparral stallion Fabulous.

"He's got rising two-year-olds so they are the next part of my dream."

Unraced due to injury, Fabulous is out of a sister to Sculptor, who won seven races for McKenzie, including the Gr.3 Saab Quality at Flemington.

He then finished a respectable ninth behind Efficient in the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup in his final appearance before his retirement to Strathcarron.

"Unfortunately, Sculptor's had fertility issues so he's not a commercial sire," McKenzie said.